The Zone is a disease

The Zone is a disease , really . In all senses of the word ; a disease on the earth , a blight on man , a rot in one’s very soul . You get used to it changing you ; even if it isn’t mutating your cells physically , it alters your very existence . But hey ! You gotta make a living .

When you’re crouched next to the wheel-well of a rusted out ZAZ with the sweat rolling down between your shoulder blades trying desperately to convince yourself this it is absolutely not hairy , but completely normal rust on the nearby door , you realize some things . One is that life sucks , but it could be worse . The black , lumpy , pool of half-coagulated blood oozing from the ruined head of a formerly telepathically controlled mutant tells you it could be much worse . Two , that the best things in life cost a lot of money , like a military grade anomaly detector . Similar to the one a certain ex-partner of mine has , and that I used to have . The Chinese knock-off strapped to my leg doesn’t even turn on half the time , besides , I have no clue what „ anomaly “ looks like in Chinese . If it goes off like a Christmas tree , I run the opposite way .

Since there were no lights or what I suppose qualifies as „ danger “ music in China coming out of the detector , it was either off again , or I was safe . Of course , in the Zone , safe is definitely a state of mind , and not anything definable . The sharp cordite reek of my still smoking Kalashnikov reminded me that where there was a telepathically controlled mutant , there was a telepathic mutant Controller .

Tapping a full magazine against the butt stock , I peered over the dented hood of the car and prayed that Slava wasn’t lying to me about the effectiveness of my black market psionic blocker . Scanning the scenery , I thumbed the magazine release , dropped the nearly empty mag on the ground and snapped in the full one with a reassuring snick of metal on metal . I smacked the charging handle forward and let out a slow breath as I heard the round enter the chamber . A soft wind blew across my back and rustled the leaves on the ground . Eyes still ahead , I groped on the ground for my discarded clip . Then the wind stopped , and it got quiet and still . A soft ringing began in the tiny bones of my ears , imperceptibly building . The only sounds were the harsh rasping of my breath , and my heart beating like falling pianos . A prickling sensation started at my tailbone and shot to my brain , and all my small hairs stood to attention . My head swiveled back and forth as I tried to look everywhere at once , and while it had been cool only seconds ago , sweat shone on my brow . The air seemed to grow dense , and felt charged with static electricity . The ringing increased volume , edging up towards discomfort . My hand scrabbled desperately for my mag , and then even the sounds of my breath and heart and frantically searching hand faded into stillness . The cold hard steel of the banana clip grazed my fingers and I closed my hand around it with the desperation of a drowning man , and something fingered and bony with dry cracked flesh closed around my hand .

A yell that could be more properly called a scream leapt from my throat , and I followed it by leaping back away from the junked car as far as I could . The iron grip on my hand snapped me to the ground and instead of getting away , I pulled it halfway out from under the car . What was left of its flesh was mottled brown and grey , with broad festering red patches , the remnants of a radiation burn . Empty eye sockets looked at me without sight , and the mouth was clenched in a death rictus . Flakes of grey skin fell from the scaly hand as I twisted my arm and tried to wrench my hand free . All of this was etched into my brain in the handful of seconds it took me to raise my AK and set its muzzle under the zombie’s chin . Its sightless face glowered with a mixture of hate and hunger until a plume of gunpowder flame and a burst of 7.62 mm bullets erased it for good . Everything that was above the jaw was now a spattered mess against the door of the car , and as I kicked the body away from me , black blood like the pool around the other mutant spurted fitfully from the stump of its neck . Freeing my hand at last , I shakily looked at my precious clip in amazement . The smart thing would have been to forget about one measly magazine as soon as things went weird . Well , weird for the Zone that is . Of course , I’ve never been known for my brains , because the smart thing would be not to come into the Zone in the first place .

I looked at the two still forms of the zombies , their tattered clothing doing nothing that clothing should , more a part of them rather than something they wore . It appeared fused to their skin in more than a few places , a gruesome accompaniment to their burned and melted features . As the adrenaline roared its way out of my system , the part of my brain that notices , noticed that things were still very motionless . Worse , that damned ringing bounced back and forth in my skull , caroming off my eardrums like the after effect of a concussion grenade gone off too close .

Back on alert , my body tense from scalp to toenails , I raised my rifle to my shoulder and looked for better cover . Still the cursed Chinese box stayed silent , so I decided to chance sticking around . I was cocky from having handled two mutants in one go , and I wanted something to show for all this trouble . Like I said , I’m not known for being the smart one .

I got a good chance to take in my surroundings . The dirt and gravel of the driveway I was crouched on crunched beneath my boots as I swiveled looking for threats . Beyond the wrecked ZAZ a dilapidated , half-collapsed house leaned into itself , sagging disconsolately . Absolutely still trees were spaced around a weed infested , overgrown , motionless front lawn . My nerves screamed at me that this was not right , and that the center of what was not right was in that house . The empty road I had taken to this place stretched away to the horizons , bending its way into the hills . Peering into the shadows of the doorway of the house , the door long gone and the frame cracked , I took a step forward and made up my mind .

Keeping my AK trained on the doorway , I reached into the rucksack on the back of my load bearing vest and pulled out a fragmentation grenade . After checking under the car for any more surprises , I crept up behind it , pulled the pin on the grenade , flicked off the spoon , and tossed it into the doorway . I dropped down behind the shelter of the wheel-well of the car and waited , grimacing as the ringing crashed past the pain threshold . Two eternal seconds went by , then the whump of the grenade muffled by the crumbling walls was followed by the patter of falling dust and debris . A breeze rushed past , as if angry at being held still . The trees resumed their familiar rustling , and the grass bent in wind . Letting out my breath in an explosive sigh , my ears aching as they got used to the sudden lack of excessive volume ; that odd pain of pressure released after too long of a wait . I came around the car , went up to the doorway and checked my angles . Damp mildew scents wafted to my nose , released from the broken walls and wood by my grenade . Satisfied that the entrance was clear , I stepped inside .

The smoke and dust were still settling , and dim sunlight cast hazy diagonal shafts of illumination . Then I saw it , half buried by some newly fallen rubble dislodged by my explosion ; a young Controller , unconscious , but mostly intact lay beneath the debris of what used to be a wall . Then I joined it when something heavy and hard hit me from behind , knocking me into darkness .

When light returned , it brought along its ugly friend , a throbbing headache . A far too familiar voice chuckled deeply .

„ I always knew you were the lucky one , Schiller " The floor rushed away , trailing bits of straw and plaster with it as I was hauled up to a sitting position . „ But then , I was always the smart one , yes ! “

Wriggling my hands enlightened me to the fact that they were bound behind my back , just in front of the wrists , not terribly secure . It also enlightened me to the fact that moving anything made the throbbing lump on the back of my head feel like it was kicking my brain with hobnailed boots .

„ What , no witty repartee ? No bravo response ! “

„ Hello , Dieter " I mumbled , wincing at the tap-dance the words played on my skull . „ No smart ones here in the Zone ! “

„ Ah , the refreshing sound of forced cynicism " Dieter smiled . „ I really ought to thank you , you have saved me much work , and made me more that a little money ! “ He gestured at the Controller , sealed inside a plastic biohazard capsule , flanked by what looked to be two scientists in full anti-contamination gear .

„ You’re welcome . How about giving my property back and a share of the bounty , in gratitude ! “ All of this talking was really becoming quite a drag .

„ Hmmm , while I ought to , among a great many other things , I really don’t think I will . Goodbye Schiller , I give you say , five hundred to one odds that you will free yourself and make your way back to the Fringe before the dwarfs get you . Care to make it a wager ! “ That mocking grin never left my ex-comrade’s mouth .

„ Sure , how about a million ? That sounds good . I always wanted to retire young ! “

The scientists wheeled out the Controller in its pod , and the sound of turbines and rotor blades spinning up made their muffled way into the room . Dieter turned to follow them , and called out over his shoulder „ You can’t wager what you don’t have , Schiller ! “

„ How about I just come find you and shoot you instead ! “

Dieter paused and motioned to someone out of sight in the gloom . A muffled exchange , then he turned on his heel , adjusted the straps of his pack , and said „ Then again , you are very lucky ! “ He turned again , and was gone . Shortly , there was the increased pitch and whirling thump of a helicopter taking off . The sound of a diesel engine turning over came coughing out of the dark , and with it came a soldier .

His face was expressionless , but the bayonet in his hand said plenty ... Almost instantly , another pitch-black darkness surrounded me .

The next day I woke up , and to my surprise I was unharmed and with my hands free . Next to me was my equipment , arranged in order and some other supplies with a note on top . I read it " You're lucky I found you last night before the dwarfs did ! Take care next time ! "

So , just like that , out of pure and dumb luck I survived ... Well , I can't possibly say the same thing about Dieter's near future ...